The birthplace of the Angus breed is Scotland, and its name was taken from the counties where its development began: Aberdeen and Angus. History records the existence of the "black stallion cows" in the county of Angus before the 16th century and their origin is so remote that it is impossible to determine how and when they appeared. The first Aberdeen Angus bull to enter Brazil was Menelik, in 1906, bred by Felix Buxareo y Oribe, from Uruguay. The bull was imported by cattle breeder Leonardo Collares Sobrinho, from Bagé, a city located on the border of Rio Grande do Sul with Uruguay.
The weight gain of calves, from birth to weaning, is highly dependent on feeding conditions. In the crossing of aberdeen angus with several breeds, an increase of 5 to 15% of heterosis was found for weaning weight, which highlights the greater maternal ability of the crossbred cow. The production of steers is largely affected by crossbreeding and presents positive variations of 4 to 15% in daily weight gain, 0.5 to 3% in cold carcass yield, 0.5 to 2% for carcass typification data.
A program aimed at the genetic improvement of beef cattle is conducted annually by the Brazilian Association of Aberdeen Angus Breeders, together with other entities. This program uses the Field Evaluation Test of Angus calves. The animals start the test at an average age of seven months, kept in native fields and in cultivated pastures. At the end of the program, they are weighed and their performance is evaluated. To be approved, in addition to weight gain, the animals must overcome parameters of racial characteristics, body size, muscular conformation, gait, reaction to the environment and coverage potential.
